When education and environmental concern are brought together within a single collaborative movement, community service ceases to be merely a short-term program, becoming instead an investment in the future. This is the spirit carried by students undertaking Community Service Learning (KKN) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta as they forged partnerships with a number of schools in Sintang Regency, as part of the KKN Bentang Sintang Program.

Through a series of coordination visits to MAN 1 Sintang, SMAN 3 Sintang, and SMAN 1 Sintang on Monday (13/7/2026), KKN students-built synergy with the schools to develop a program integrating stronger access to higher education information with environmental education. This collaboration forms part of the implementation of KKN Bentang Sintang, designed to run over three years and involving various stakeholders, from schools and local government to environmental communities.

A representative of the UIN Sunan Kalijaga KKN students, Mufid, explained that the students' presence at the schools was not merely to introduce the university, but also to create an educational space capable of motivating students to have the confidence to pursue higher education, while also fostering environmental awareness.

“We wanted to provide insight into university life while also building enthusiasm for continuing on to higher education. At the same time, we have also coordinated with the Environmental Agency and various environmental activists in Sintang so that these efforts can move forward together. Our focus is on education and collaboration,” Mufid explained.

At MAN 1 Sintang, the initiative received a positive response. The school felt that the students' presence brought information closer to the needs of its pupils.

“We greatly appreciate the students' presence. Opportunities like this are not always available to us, given constraints of time and mobility. Information about university life, delivered directly by students, feels closer, more real, and better able to motivate students to pursue higher education,” the school representative said.

Beyond strengthening access to higher education information, the meeting also opened space for collaboration in the environmental field. Drawing on MAN 1 Sintang's experience as a National-Level Adiwiyata (Eco) School, both parties agreed to strengthen the environmental education programme already under way. As part of this collaboration, students will be involved in mentoring the conversion of plastic waste into works of art, educating on waste sorting, providing administrative support alongside the Environmental Agency, and supporting various environmental agendas at the school.

A similar commitment was established with SMAN 3 Sintang. Together with the school, KKN students will reactivate the PELITA Program (Peduli Lingkungan SMANTA, or “SMANTA Cares for the Environment”), as a sustained movement to strengthen environmental education and waste management within the school.

Deputy Head of SMAN 3 Sintang, Astuti Winarti, observed that the program brought by the UIN Sunan Kalijaga KKN students aligns with the character education program the school has long been developing. The presence of the KKN students also serves to reinforce various environmental initiatives already pioneered by the school.

“The presence of our KKN students feels like an answer to our prayers. We hope this collaboration can help the environmental care movement succeed, while also motivating students on the importance of pursuing higher education,” Astuti added.

Collaboration was further strengthened through a visit to SMAN 1 Sintang. The KKN Bentang Sintang team was received directly by Headteacher Hardianto, together with Deputy Head for Curriculum Robert, Deputy Head for Student Affairs Sulis, and members of the teaching staff.

During the meeting, both parties discussed opportunities for cooperation in organizing educational activities and strengthening environmental literacy on a sustainable basis. Unlike community service programs that are one-off in nature, this KKN is designed to run over three years, involving a different KKN team each year, so that the programmes already established can continue to be developed.

KKN Bentang Sintang Field Supervisor, Rika Lusri Virga, explained that environmental education is one of the main focuses of the community service program, which will continue to be strengthened over the three years of the KKN's implementation.

“We want to hold education on waste in schools, as this will be the main program running over the next three years. So, the first year will focus on education, outreach, and building the system,” she said.

Through the community service carried out by UIN Sunan Kalijaga KKN students, together with schools and various partners in Sintang Regency, cross-sector collaboration continues to be built to nurture a younger generation oriented towards education while also caring for the environment. In this spirit, schools become spaces where character grows, while student community service provides a bridge for collaboration that drives the emergence of various sustainable environmental management initiatives. (humassk)